Night of the Living Cards
by Barasuisho
Summary: Ed goes through an interesting night.


Night of the Living Cards

Ed looked at the clock on his desk, it was already way past his midnight and he had to report to the colonel to talk about Lior. He gave a loud sigh and began the task of carefully gathering his report for the next day, and putting away his Tarot cards. Ed finished putting away his alchemy books and had put the cards back in their book-like case, when suddenly he felt a gust of wind coming in from the open window above his desk. He closed it, but not before some of the cards were scattered on his desk. The cards had been a gift from one of the gypsy girls, and he was bored enough to use them once in a while. He decided that they could wait until tomorrow to be picked up, and so, he went to get ready for bed. He laid down on the comfy mattress, aware that Al was already snoring (which was quite loud considering the suit amplified the sound).

It was nearly 2 a.m. when a faint sound could be heard coming from the Tarot card case that lay on his desk. The scattered cards shifted and grunting noises were becoming louder. The figure of a man with a cloak and a lantern could be seen struggling to free himself from the restricting card; nearby, a lady with long flowing pale hair and a crescent moon symbol was standing on top of a card bearing the words "The Moon." Little by little more characters could be seen coming out of their respective cards, stretching themselves and attempting to look more presentable. Being stuck in pose in a card all day while some kid shuffles you is no picnic. The Death was just pulling out his scythe when The Chariot swerved too close to him, causing him to fall over after nearly being run over.

"Hey watch it! Who are you trying to kill?!" called out The Death, brandishing his scythe in a menacing manner.

"Oh come now, Death, you should know he's just being immature," said The Hanged Man, trying to untie his foot. "Since you're there and you have your scythe available, would you mind cutting me down?"

At that very moment, the knot loosened and the Hanged Man fell with a loud plop. The figures stopped their actions and turned nervously to look at the bed. Ed's chest rose and fell as he slept undisturbed by the commotion.

"I've got a spell I've been dying to use. Would you care to see it, High Priestess?" asked the Magician quietly.

The Fool danced past them, spreading merriment and headed for the Wheel of Fortune to play. Time passed as the cards enjoyed their various activities. The Justice and The Hierophant were engaged in a heated argument over the meaning of who had greater authority over deciding right from wrong, and the Temperance was trying to persuade them both to calm down.

What no one noticed, was that The Hermit had climbed The Tower and was looking out over the expanse of the room. He wanted to get a good look at an object in the distance. Suddenly, a booming crash was heard as The Chariot overturned itself after attempting a narrow turn. The Hermit lit his lamp to get a view of the damage without realizing just how brightly it glowed.

In the bed, Ed stirred when he heard the noise. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and looked towards his desk. His golden eyes shot open as he saw tiny figures running about, trying to jump back into their cards and arranging themselves in their poses. He threw off the blankets and dashed to the desk. The last thing he saw was a woman dragging a lion back into the card with her.

He couldn't believe it. He picked up the cards and examined them. There was no way he'd just seen the pictures walking about and trying to get back in.

"Big brother," called out a voice nearby, "what on earth are you doing? It's too early."

"Yeah; sorry, Al," he replied. "Just go back to bed."

He walked out of his room, closing the door behind himself. Ed looked at he cards again, before putting them back in their case. It had to have been a dream. It just had to be, right? After all, whoever heard of Tarot cards that came out at night to play?

This is what you get when you stay up for days and then decide to take a break. Maybe he should request some time off after this assignment. He walked towards his bed and plopped down. Ed lifted his head to get one last look at the Tarot set. Yes, he definitely would be asking that stupid colonel for time off.

A/N: Hi! This is what happens to you when you're bored out of your mind waiting for class to start. R&R! No flames.

Insert disclaimer: I do not own any of the FMA characters (no matter how much I wish I did)


End file.
